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Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 29th 08, 06:32 PM posted to sci.space.history
Rick Jones[_3_]
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Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?

So, while our gaze is skyward after the Falcon 1 Flight 4 launch, a
more down to earth question - what was the fate of the first stage of
flight four? Did it have 'chutes etc? Was there an attempt at
recovery?

rick jones
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  #2  
Old September 29th 08, 07:05 PM posted to sci.space.history
Damon Hill[_3_]
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Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?

Rick Jones wrote in
:

So, while our gaze is skyward after the Falcon 1 Flight 4 launch, a
more down to earth question - what was the fate of the first stage of
flight four? Did it have 'chutes etc? Was there an attempt at
recovery?


Details are sketchy; Musk reportedly said that thermal protection needs
some improving which implies no recovery was made. Hopefully more details
will be forthcoming. Reusability of at least some of the flight hardware
would be icing on the cake.

--Damon

  #3  
Old September 29th 08, 07:12 PM posted to sci.space.history
Rick Jones[_3_]
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Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?

Damon Hill wrote:
Details are sketchy; Musk reportedly said that thermal protection
needs some improving which implies no recovery was made.


A kg here, a kg there

Hopefully more details will be forthcoming. Reusability of at least
some of the flight hardware would be icing on the cake.


Indeed.

rick jones

wasn't able to watch the launch live - would have thought he was a
jinx because was able to watch the launches for flight 2 and 3 live,
but cannot recall seeing flight 1 live

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  #4  
Old September 29th 08, 07:13 PM posted to sci.space.history
Rand Simberg[_1_]
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Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?

On Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:32:34 +0000 (UTC), in a place far, far away,
Rick Jones made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

So, while our gaze is skyward after the Falcon 1 Flight 4 launch, a
more down to earth question - what was the fate of the first stage of
flight four? Did it have 'chutes etc? Was there an attempt at
recovery?


It was not recovered, nor was there any attempt. It didn't have
sufficient thermal protection. SpaceX says that the next flight may.
  #5  
Old September 29th 08, 08:04 PM posted to sci.space.history
Damon Hill[_3_]
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Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?

Rick Jones wrote in
:

So, while our gaze is skyward after the Falcon 1 Flight 4 launch, a
more down to earth question - what was the fate of the first stage of
flight four? Did it have 'chutes etc? Was there an attempt at
recovery?


The limited (almost non-existant) details of how SpaceX plans to
recover and reuse flight hardware doesn't help; a parachute and some
thermal protection material is one thing, but exposing a lot of
sensitive machinery (and especially the internals of a rocket engine)
to salt water implies a degree of 'hardening' and maybe limits
what can be usefully--read: reliably--reused.

I get the impression this is not the highest priority, nor is it
trivial if the effort can significantly cut costs.

We'll just have to wait for the details to emerge. Or submerge.

--Damon

  #6  
Old September 29th 08, 10:28 PM posted to sci.space.history
Pat Flannery
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Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?



Damon Hill wrote:

So, while our gaze is skyward after the Falcon 1 Flight 4 launch, a
more down to earth question - what was the fate of the first stage of
flight four? Did it have 'chutes etc? Was there an attempt at
recovery?


Details are sketchy; Musk reportedly said that thermal protection needs
some improving which implies no recovery was made. Hopefully more details
will be forthcoming. Reusability of at least some of the flight hardware
would be icing on the cake.


You'd think they would want to get it back just to have a good look at
how the Merlin engine held up on the flight.
I don't know how deep the water is where the first stage fell, but if it
was fairly shallow and you could find the stage fairly easily, I would
probably send divers out to recover what was left of it so I could get a
look at the engine.

Pat
  #7  
Old September 29th 08, 10:29 PM posted to sci.space.history
Pat Flannery
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Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?



Rick Jones wrote:

wasn't able to watch the launch live - would have thought he was a
jinx because was able to watch the launches for flight 2 and 3 live,
but cannot recall seeing flight 1 live


Did they even broadcast flight 1 live?

Pat
  #8  
Old September 29th 08, 10:35 PM posted to sci.space.history
Pat Flannery
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Posts: 18,465
Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?



Damon Hill wrote:

The limited (almost non-existant) details of how SpaceX plans to
recover and reuse flight hardware doesn't help; a parachute and some
thermal protection material is one thing, but exposing a lot of
sensitive machinery (and especially the internals of a rocket engine)
to salt water implies a degree of 'hardening' and maybe limits
what can be usefully--read: reliably--reused.


NASA did studies for recovery of Saturn I and Saturn V first stages back
in the early 1960s.
They subjected electronics and some engines to several hours of
sal****er exposure, then flushed them thoroughly with freshwater,
followed by dipping them in alcohol and letting them dry.
The components seemed to handle that fairly well.

Pat

I get the impression this is not the highest priority, nor is it
trivial if the effort can significantly cut costs.

We'll just have to wait for the details to emerge. Or submerge.

--Damon


  #9  
Old September 29th 08, 10:38 PM posted to sci.space.history
Jochem Huhmann
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Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?

Damon Hill writes:

The limited (almost non-existant) details of how SpaceX plans to
recover and reuse flight hardware doesn't help; a parachute and some
thermal protection material is one thing, but exposing a lot of
sensitive machinery (and especially the internals of a rocket engine)
to salt water implies a degree of 'hardening' and maybe limits
what can be usefully--read: reliably--reused.

I get the impression this is not the highest priority, nor is it
trivial if the effort can significantly cut costs.


I think that may change with Falcon 9, alone the nine turbopumps would
be worth quite a bit, although you most probably wouldn't use the
nozzles for anything serious again. They may well have had other things
to care for up to now anyway.

By the way, I liked the "F9" T-shirt one guy in the webcast was wearing,
seems to be quite a great place to work. The full 40 minutes webcast
including Elon Musk saying a lot of "umm... Yeah!... mindblowing... umm"
is available at:

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=8FQhtMrUQlE

I'm really glad it worked out finally. Well done, SpaceX! Now on to F9
and Dragon...

Jochem

--
"A designer knows he has arrived at perfection not when there is no
longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
  #10  
Old September 29th 08, 10:39 PM posted to sci.space.history
Rick Jones[_3_]
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Posts: 587
Default Status of Falcon 1 Flight 4 First Stage?

Pat Flannery wrote:
Rick Jones wrote:
wasn't able to watch the launch live - would have thought he was a
jinx because was able to watch the launches for flight 2 and 3
live, but cannot recall seeing flight 1 live


Did they even broadcast flight 1 live?


I don't actually remember. I suppose if they didn't then I still
_could_ be a jinx for SpaceX

rick jones
--
Process shall set you free from the need for rational thought.
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...
 




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